Over the last decade, scientists have experimented with using stem cells
to heal or replace the scarred tissue that mars the heart after a heart
attack. While the cells do spur some level of repair in animals, human
tests have resulted in modest or transient benefits at best. Now
researchers have developed a new kind of biological sutures, made from
polymer strands infused with stem cells, that might help surmount two
major obstacles to using stem cells to heal the heart: getting the cells
to the right spot and keeping them there long enough to trigger
healing.